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King Rules: Ten Truths for You, Your Family, and Our Nation to Prosper
In King Rules, the niece of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. shares that message in a deeply personal collection of hard-learned lessons, timeless truths, and foundational principles.
Dr. Alveda King’s words are lovingly crafted yet refreshingly blunt at a time when bluntness is needed to counter the forces of moral drift and empty relativism.
Beginning with a vulnerable admission of her own wounds and wanderings, Alveda unfolds eleven core values that have guided her family through generations of triumph and tragedy—and have played a pivotal role in fostering revolutionary change in society.
Out of a heart of compassion, she dispenses wise meditations on bedrock subjects including faith and family, peace and justice, education and civic life. With thoughtful conviction she also boldly tackles topics considered divisive in our postmodern world, from abortion and sexuality to gun control and marriage laws.
The King Rules is a page-turning narrative that blends eyewitness history with grandmotherly wisdom. And as J. C. Watts writes in the Foreword, the book is “more than Alveda’s story, it’s an account of the beliefs that redirected the course of a nation, that left us a legacy, and that hopefully will guide us again.”
Dr. Alveda King’s words are lovingly crafted yet refreshingly blunt at a time when bluntness is needed to counter the forces of moral drift and empty relativism.
Beginning with a vulnerable admission of her own wounds and wanderings, Alveda unfolds eleven core values that have guided her family through generations of triumph and tragedy—and have played a pivotal role in fostering revolutionary change in society.
Out of a heart of compassion, she dispenses wise meditations on bedrock subjects including faith and family, peace and justice, education and civic life. With thoughtful conviction she also boldly tackles topics considered divisive in our postmodern world, from abortion and sexuality to gun control and marriage laws.
The King Rules is a page-turning narrative that blends eyewitness history with grandmotherly wisdom. And as J. C. Watts writes in the Foreword, the book is “more than Alveda’s story, it’s an account of the beliefs that redirected the course of a nation, that left us a legacy, and that hopefully will guide us again.”
175 pages, Kindle Edition
First published December 31, 2013
14 people are currently reading
131 people want to read
About the author
Alveda C. King
12 books9 followersEvangelist Alveda C. King works toward her purpose in life, to glorify God.
She currently serves as a Pastoral Associate and Director of Civil Rights for the Unborn, the African-American Outreach for Priests for Life and Gospel of Life Ministries. She is also a voice for the Silent No More Awareness Campaign, sharing her testimony of two abortions, God’s forgiveness, and healing.
The daughter of the late civil rights activist Rev. A.D. King and his wife Naomi Barber King, Alveda grew up in the civil rights movement led by her uncle, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Her family home in Birmingham, Alabama, was bombed, as was her father’s church office in Louisville, Kentucky. Alveda was jailed during the open housing movement. She sees the prolife movement as a continuation of the civil rights struggle.
Evangelist King is a former college professor and served in the Georgia State House of Representatives. She is a recipient of the Life Prize Award (2011), the Cardinal John O’Connor Pro-Life Hall of Fame Award (2011) from the Legatus organization and the Civil Rights Award from Congress of Racial Equality (CORE) (2011). She is a bestselling author; among her books are King Rules: Ten Truths for You, Your Family, and Our Nation to Prosper, How Can the Dream Survive if we Murder the Children? and I Don’t Want Your Man, I Want My Own. She is an accomplished actress and songwriter. The Founder of Alveda King Ministries, Alveda is also the recipient of an honorary Doctorate of Laws degree from Saint Anselm College. She has served on several boards, including Heartbeat International, Georgia Right to Life, MLK Center, Bible Curriculum in Public Schools and Abortion Recovery International (ARIN). She is also a member of the National Black Prolife Coalition (NBPC) and is a Senior Fellow with the Howard Center for Family, Religion & Society. Alveda is a regular columnist for Newsmax.com “Insiders” section and a Fox News contributor.
Evangelist King lives in Atlanta, where she is the grateful mother of six and a doting grandmother.
She currently serves as a Pastoral Associate and Director of Civil Rights for the Unborn, the African-American Outreach for Priests for Life and Gospel of Life Ministries. She is also a voice for the Silent No More Awareness Campaign, sharing her testimony of two abortions, God’s forgiveness, and healing.
The daughter of the late civil rights activist Rev. A.D. King and his wife Naomi Barber King, Alveda grew up in the civil rights movement led by her uncle, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Her family home in Birmingham, Alabama, was bombed, as was her father’s church office in Louisville, Kentucky. Alveda was jailed during the open housing movement. She sees the prolife movement as a continuation of the civil rights struggle.
Evangelist King is a former college professor and served in the Georgia State House of Representatives. She is a recipient of the Life Prize Award (2011), the Cardinal John O’Connor Pro-Life Hall of Fame Award (2011) from the Legatus organization and the Civil Rights Award from Congress of Racial Equality (CORE) (2011). She is a bestselling author; among her books are King Rules: Ten Truths for You, Your Family, and Our Nation to Prosper, How Can the Dream Survive if we Murder the Children? and I Don’t Want Your Man, I Want My Own. She is an accomplished actress and songwriter. The Founder of Alveda King Ministries, Alveda is also the recipient of an honorary Doctorate of Laws degree from Saint Anselm College. She has served on several boards, including Heartbeat International, Georgia Right to Life, MLK Center, Bible Curriculum in Public Schools and Abortion Recovery International (ARIN). She is also a member of the National Black Prolife Coalition (NBPC) and is a Senior Fellow with the Howard Center for Family, Religion & Society. Alveda is a regular columnist for Newsmax.com “Insiders” section and a Fox News contributor.
Evangelist King lives in Atlanta, where she is the grateful mother of six and a doting grandmother.
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Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews
March 29, 2016
A lovely, lovely book by MLK’s niece, who seems to most embody and carry on the best of the MLK tradition by sharing his actual words, in congruence with his actions. Her subtitle “Ten Truths for You, Your Family, and Our Nation to Prosper,” gives away the family-help nature of the book, but all of them ring true and loud in these uncertain, morally rule-less times. Her faith-centered and loving counsel is exemplified – selflessly – in the back cover’s MLK quote: “Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.” We may all need to learn and take these words to heart sooner than we expect.
March 7, 2020
I liked the historical details about Martin Luther King Jr. and his family. The Christian moralizing not as much. But Alveda's testimony about her abortions was very powerful.
February 15, 2018
I have been a fan of Alveda King for some time. She always has such a sense of well being and this is shown in King Rules. King Rules tells the story of the King family and how it developed. Her ten rules of family, community and nation is something everyone can benefit from whether it be an affirmation of how your family is living or how you can make changes to make your already wonderful family into an awesome family. This book will make you think and want to rediscover the wonders that your life can hold.
I took slight issue with Ms. King on her beliefs about divorce, abortion and homosexuality. There are personal choice that I believe individuals can decide on their own still upholding the virtues of family and community. The book is full of ways and means, faith and love as a healing process. I would think it to be beneficial for every member of our broken Congress to read this book and regenerate the process needed in healing themselves and our nation. I read a chapter each day in the morning; I enjoyed being able to digest one chapter at a time. My favorite chapter? - Find Your Joy.
I took slight issue with Ms. King on her beliefs about divorce, abortion and homosexuality. There are personal choice that I believe individuals can decide on their own still upholding the virtues of family and community. The book is full of ways and means, faith and love as a healing process. I would think it to be beneficial for every member of our broken Congress to read this book and regenerate the process needed in healing themselves and our nation. I read a chapter each day in the morning; I enjoyed being able to digest one chapter at a time. My favorite chapter? - Find Your Joy.
February 20, 2020
The King family!
A middle class Christian family of preachers and educators put their all on the line for their rights and to win the rights of others. By stepping up, they lost SO much and experienced SO MUCH grief--members murdered, houses bombed, stints in jail, long periods apart from each other.
We're so used to the legend, we forget the actual people who created it. They were a cut above. Not your average bear.
A middle class Christian family of preachers and educators put their all on the line for their rights and to win the rights of others. By stepping up, they lost SO much and experienced SO MUCH grief--members murdered, houses bombed, stints in jail, long periods apart from each other.
We're so used to the legend, we forget the actual people who created it. They were a cut above. Not your average bear.
September 17, 2020
AN EASY READ FILLED WITH PRACTICAL AND SIMPLE PRINCIPLES TO FOLLOW INCLUDING A RECAP OF THE MARTIN LUTHER KING NONVIOLENT PROTEST TENETS THAT GUIDED HE AND HIS BROTHER (ALVEDA'S DAD) IN THEIR CIVIL RIGHTS MOVEMENT. I WAS NOT AWARE OF WHAT AN ADVOCATE SHE IS TO THE UNBORN CHILD. VERY INSPIRATIONAL TO HEAR HER PERSONAL STORY AS IT RELATES TO THE PRO-LIFE MOVEMENT AND HOW DEEPLY SHE CARES ABOUT THE ISSUE.
September 18, 2022
This was a nice read about life n general. I gave it 2 stars, not bc it wasn’t good, but bc I didn’t really gain any new insight. My family already live according to the rules she stated, so for me nothing was new. But I did enjoy a poem in the book about children learning. That poem is the reason why I will hold on to this book for the future.
July 29, 2023
I found this a very good read by the niece of Martin Luther King, Jr. She gave insights into their family dynamics and the men who influenced her and a nation. The principles she shares are close to my heart and reflect the strength of the King family and their work to the present day.
A recommended read.
A recommended read.
August 8, 2018
An inspirational and personal look at the King family. Dr. Alveda King clearly and boldly lays out the Godly principles that have governed the King family for generations.
January 23, 2019
Well worth reading.
April 18, 2019
Great truth on the family beliefs
Loved this book. Good biblical principles and how the family held to the. Learned things about the family I didn't know.
Loved this book. Good biblical principles and how the family held to the. Learned things about the family I didn't know.
June 26, 2022
Written by his niece. No interesting historical or personal details. Really almost nothing about MLK.
May 17, 2025
Read in preparation for our Family Forum Night interview with Alveda King. Highly enjoyable and informative read.
In King Rules, Alveda explains the central role of the Bible in her family life growing up: "But our home – where the Holy Bible and the Author of the Book were honored – was always a bastion for truth. For us, in the King family, a real home has God at the center of it." This extended to issues like homosexuality and abortion, as well as the role of Christians in promoting justice in the public square.
On marriage: "Our family has never endorsed homosexual marriage. . . my father and uncle were very firm on respecting the biblical model for marriage. . . By the Bible’s definition, marriage is a union between one man and one woman. Other forms of human sexuality, including adultery, fornication, and homosexuality, don’t fit God’s design."
On abortion: "I'm convinced Uncle M.L. never believed in the platform of Planned Parenthood. I am absolutely sure that Uncle M.L. would be appalled to know Planned Parenthood is the leader in an industry that is responsible for more than [63] million abortions since the Roe ruling in 1973… There’s another reason I’m convinced my uncle would have been a leading figure in the pro-life movement: He grew up in the King household, and the leaders in our household were unequivocal in their stance against abortion." Notably, my favorite story in the book is MLK Sr. talking Alveda's mom out of getting an abortion by sharing his dream of having a niece with "light skin" and "bright red hair" who would "be a blessing to many."
On legislating morality: "While morality itself cannot be legislated, behavior can be. It may be true that the law cannot change the heart, but it can certainly restrain the heartless. Until the human heart and the soul become aligned with the love of God, there is a need for laws to regulate unruly behavior. My uncle reached the same conclusion fifty years ago. 'It may be true that the law cannot make a man love me, but it can keep him from lynching me,' he said, 'and I think that is pretty important.' We have an obligation to protect the most vulnerable members of our society—from little babies in the womb to the sick and elderly. We need just laws to give a voice to those who cannot speak for themselves. While we wait for the human hearts of the world to line up with truth and light, we’ll need to rely on laws and legislation in the meantime."
Put simply, this book provided a perspective of the King family, and especially MLK Jr., that I have never encountered before. The MLK Sr., MLK Jr., and brother A.D. presented here simply do not fit the liberal stereotypes often attributed to them by those on the political left. It goes without saying that the Kings sacrificed much for the cause of justice and liberty—and for that, I am grateful.
In King Rules, Alveda explains the central role of the Bible in her family life growing up: "But our home – where the Holy Bible and the Author of the Book were honored – was always a bastion for truth. For us, in the King family, a real home has God at the center of it." This extended to issues like homosexuality and abortion, as well as the role of Christians in promoting justice in the public square.
On marriage: "Our family has never endorsed homosexual marriage. . . my father and uncle were very firm on respecting the biblical model for marriage. . . By the Bible’s definition, marriage is a union between one man and one woman. Other forms of human sexuality, including adultery, fornication, and homosexuality, don’t fit God’s design."
On abortion: "I'm convinced Uncle M.L. never believed in the platform of Planned Parenthood. I am absolutely sure that Uncle M.L. would be appalled to know Planned Parenthood is the leader in an industry that is responsible for more than [63] million abortions since the Roe ruling in 1973… There’s another reason I’m convinced my uncle would have been a leading figure in the pro-life movement: He grew up in the King household, and the leaders in our household were unequivocal in their stance against abortion." Notably, my favorite story in the book is MLK Sr. talking Alveda's mom out of getting an abortion by sharing his dream of having a niece with "light skin" and "bright red hair" who would "be a blessing to many."
On legislating morality: "While morality itself cannot be legislated, behavior can be. It may be true that the law cannot change the heart, but it can certainly restrain the heartless. Until the human heart and the soul become aligned with the love of God, there is a need for laws to regulate unruly behavior. My uncle reached the same conclusion fifty years ago. 'It may be true that the law cannot make a man love me, but it can keep him from lynching me,' he said, 'and I think that is pretty important.' We have an obligation to protect the most vulnerable members of our society—from little babies in the womb to the sick and elderly. We need just laws to give a voice to those who cannot speak for themselves. While we wait for the human hearts of the world to line up with truth and light, we’ll need to rely on laws and legislation in the meantime."
Put simply, this book provided a perspective of the King family, and especially MLK Jr., that I have never encountered before. The MLK Sr., MLK Jr., and brother A.D. presented here simply do not fit the liberal stereotypes often attributed to them by those on the political left. It goes without saying that the Kings sacrificed much for the cause of justice and liberty—and for that, I am grateful.
October 26, 2014
Combination memoir/family history and Christian living, this book shares the legacy of the King/Williams family handed down through generations. Martin Luther King, Jr. and his brother and close associate Dr. A. D. King didn't just wake up one day and decide to stand up for justice and wage a nonviolent fight for civil rights. They were carrying out the family legacy learned from their parents and grandparents, going back to a preacher slave on one side of the family and an Irishman brave enough to marry a black woman before interracial marriage was legal on the other side. I've long been a fan of Alveda King for her pro-life activism, and she tells a little of her own story her, as well, and the family and personal history were interesting. The ten truths or rules constitute good advice that will help our families and nation, just as the title says.
October 21, 2015
This book is powerful and moving. The wisdom shared in it is full of the deep richness of God while delivered in such a way that it feels like you are having a conversation with a beloved mentor or older, wiser family member. Dr. Alveda King shares wisdom that could only come from a heart that belongs fully to our Savior, Jesus Christ. One would have to have the hardest of hearts to read this book and not be moved to love others better, to fight for justice, and to love God with all of one's heart and mind. I would recommend this book to anyone who wants to grow in their walk with God and love for others.
September 19, 2014
This book is a great read. Not only is it filled with principles that I agree with but you also hear about the struggles and failures of Alveda as well as how she deals and lives with those failures and struggles on a daily basis. There is a portion of this book that brought tears to my eyes. There are portions where I laughed out loud.
I don't recommend too many books but I do recommend this one. I enjoyed it and plan on passing it along to friends who are interested.
I don't recommend too many books but I do recommend this one. I enjoyed it and plan on passing it along to friends who are interested.
August 18, 2014
The book is a conversation starter at best. I would recommend more so for adults as they would take the time to connect more with it. The power and underlying messages of this authors connection to her God is extremely apparent and all sides of the religious spectrum will view this with respect and gain knowledge
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The publisher has provided me with a complimentary copy of this book or advanced reading copy through BookLook Bloggers
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The publisher has provided me with a complimentary copy of this book or advanced reading copy through BookLook Bloggers
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January 14, 2016What an unabashed piece of shit. Alveda King tries to ride her uncle's coattails for her own 'fame' now, trying to speak for her now dead uncle (somehow better than even his wife could?)
She takes his quotes out of context (thank you google for providing the quotes in full!) to try to make them seem like they say something they don't (ahem, the abortion chapter.)
It is poorly written and poorly conceived. Alveda King may be of blood relation to MLK, but she is not his mouthpiece.
She takes his quotes out of context (thank you google for providing the quotes in full!) to try to make them seem like they say something they don't (ahem, the abortion chapter.)
It is poorly written and poorly conceived. Alveda King may be of blood relation to MLK, but she is not his mouthpiece.
February 5, 2017
Alveda King tells parts of her story and the story of her family throughout the book. It gives a simple picture of some of the things she lived through and truths taught to her by her family. She uses Scripture, along with quotes from M.L. (her uncle) throughout. A nice part of the story of the King family from a woman who seeks to live according to Biblical and conservative values.
December 2, 2014
Wish I could give this 10 stars. It is a textbook for a class on applied Christianity.
April 1, 2016
Thought provoking
This book really gave me a lot to think about. I highly recommend it to anyone concerned about our country and world.
This book really gave me a lot to think about. I highly recommend it to anyone concerned about our country and world.
July 27, 2016
What an appropriate read for an election year. It was a little hard to follow sometimes but as a whole this was a delight. A behind the scenes look at a loving and God-centered family.
Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews